Bryan man arrested in escape from jail

Eagle Staff Report

A Bryan man suspected of helping an inmate who escaped from a Brazos County jail facility was being held Sunday night on drug and gun possession charges, Sheriff Chris Kirk said.

Kenneth David Petty, 27, also could face charges of aiding escapee Joshia Robert Humphries, Kirk said. Humphries, 25, escaped from the Sandy Point Road Detention Center on Friday.

Kirk said investigators think Petty picked up Humphries on Friday in the Mumford Road area and dropped him off somewhere else in Brazos County. Humphries remains at large, and Kirk said it is possible the escapee is armed and dangerous and still could be in Brazos County.

Petty was arrested Saturday night while driving his 1999 Lincoln Navigator, the same vehicle Kirk said was used to give Humphries a ride.

When Petty was stopped, sheriff’s deputies said they discovered 178.9 grams of methamphetamine, $4,564 in cash and an illegal handgun in the vehicle. The drugs have a street value of $16,600, Kirk said.

Petty was not being helpful to investigators, the sheriff said.

Humphries, who was awaiting trial on three counts of possessing a controlled substance when he escaped, now could face a third-degree felony escape charge.